Willy Adames (MIL): 4-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI.

Adames Away

Contract years will do wonders for a player’s performance and Willy Adames is making a case for a major payday this winter. After slashing a combined .251/.319/.471 with a 116 wRC+ from 2020 through 2022, Adames slipped to a .217/.310/.407 line and 94 wRC+ last year, and it wasn’t just his surface-level numbers that suffered. Both Adames’ batted ball and plate discipline metrics declined—each of his barrel, hard-hit, chase, and whiff rates tumbled from 2022 to 2023.

With free agency coming up at the end of the season, Adames has looked revitalized at the plate. He’s slashing .252/.335/.446 with a 116 wRC+, and he punctuated his bounce-back campaign with a huge performance last night. In the Brewers’ 10-0 demolition of the Braves, Adames went off with a 4-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI showing. He got the better of Bryce Elder twice, launching two 400+ foot homers in the game’s first three innings.

Adames’ 3.6 fWAR is tops on the Brewers and sixth among all shortstops. He’s a huge reason his squad is in a position to play postseason baseball. With a big bat and strong fielding at a premium position, teams will be lining up this winter to give Adames a payday that would make Scrooge McDuck jealous.

Let’s see how the other hitters did Tuesday:

James Wood (WSN): 2-3, 3B, HR, 4 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 SB.

It sure looks like Wood is settling in against big-league pitching. Yesterday’s huge performance was the best game of his young career, and he’s now riding a six-game hitting streak. Through his first 31 games, Wood owns a solid .347 wOBA and 125 wRC+, but as you’d expect with a 21-year-old prospect, he’s striking out quite a bit. His 33.3% punch-out rate will surely come down as he continues to adjust. His Triple-A strikeout rate fell from 33.7% in 2023 to 18.2% this year. Wood’s an electric talent and I can’t wait to see just how good he becomes.

William Contreras (MIL): 3-4, 2 2B, 3B, 2 R, 4 RBI, BB.

Adames wasn’t the only Brewer to have a huge night at the plate. Contreras got in on the fun by tripling against Bryce Elder before collecting both his doubles off the Atlanta bullpen. It’s no secret that Contreras is one of baseball’s best catchers, but an underrated part of his game is that despite playing such a physically demanding position, he’s still in the lineup day in and day out. He leads all catchers in plate appearances and ranks 18th among all hitters.

Michael Conforto (SFG): 2-3, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB.

Despite struggling against same-handed pitching (.840 OPS vs. righties, .698 OPS vs. lefties), Conforto beat up on MacKenzie Gore last night. He launched a 113.2 mph three-run bomb in the first and laced a 109.1 mph double in the fifth. Conforto’s not going to get back to his 30-homer days, but he’s become a solid piece in the middle of the San Francisco lineup. He’s slashing .236/.313/.442 which is good for a 114 wRC+. At 31 years old, Conforto’s plate discipline is beginning to slip—his 0.38 BB/K ratio is a career low.

Elly De La Cruz (CIN): 4-5, 2 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB.

Elly was yesterday’s featured player so I don’t want to linger on his big night too long, but I had to at least touch on another four-hit day from the Reds’ phenom. He has eight hits in the last two days. A 30-homer, 80-steal season is within reach. He’s one of the few names in the running to go 1.1 in next year’s fantasy drafts.

Isaac Paredes (CHC): 2-3, HR, R, 4 RBI, BB.

Paredes’ first homer for his new club was a big one. In true Paredes fashion, he pulled a middle-middle Pablo López four-seamer 364 feet into the Wrigley Field bleachers to give the Cubs a first-inning lead they never gave up. Paredes’ power is the big question mark in his game. Despite going deep 31 times in 2023 and 17 times so far this season, there’s legitimate worry his batted ball profile won’t play well in Chicago. PLV gives him just an 84 Power grade (100 is average). What will play is his elite plate discipline. His 0.72 BB/K ratio is the seventh-best in the majors.

Keibert Ruiz (WSN): 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI.

Ruiz hasn’t exactly lived up to his 18-homer campaign from a year ago. He’s slashing just .228/.259/.355, and his 70 wRC+ would set a new career-low by over 20 points. While Ruiz is only on the fantasy radar in very deep formats, things are trending up. His OPS has risen nearly every month this year, so he could be a good option to replace Gabriel Moreno for those of you in NL-Only or two-catcher leagues.

Tommy Pham (STL): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI.

It might be hard to get excited about rostering Pham in your fantasy leagues, but he’s absolutely worth a look. Since being traded back to St. Louis, Pham’s started seven straight games and has even moved up to the two-hole in the last two games, although that may only happen when the team faces a lefty. Pham’s hitting .277/.336/.417 on the season with seven homers and six steals. He ranks 80th+ percentile in xBA, Squared-Up%, and Chase%. Pham should be a solid contributor across the board the rest of the way and is available in 86% and 93% of Yahoo! and ESPN fantasy leagues, respectively.

Alejandro Kirk (TOR): 2-4, HR, R, 3 RBI.

Kirk isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire with his .282 wOBA, but his fantasy stock is ticking up with Danny Jansen out of the picture and more playing time available. Kirk notched three 100+ mph EVs last night with two falling for hits, including his third home run of the year. He’s not a must-roster by any means, but you could do worse if you’re struggling to find a productive catcher in deep fantasy leagues. With solid strikeout and walk numbers, Kirk’s value is slightly higher in points and OBP leagues.

Heliot Ramos (SFG): 2-5, HR, R, RBI, SB.

Seems like Ramos’ thumb is feeling pretty good! After sitting out Monday’s game he rejoined the lineup without missing a beat. He launched a 428-foot blast in the first and completed the combo meal quickly by swiping a bag in the second. He’s up to 16 big flys to go with a 138 wRC+, the 24th-best mark among hitters with at least 300 plate appearances.

Andrew Benintendi (CHW): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.

IT HAPPENED! THE WHITE SOX WON FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE JULY 10TH! All it took was Benintendi putting together one of his best games of the year. He launched his 10th homer of the season—the first time he’s reached double-digits since 2021—taking a Ross Stripling fastball right down the heart of the plate 367 feet to put two runs on the board. Benintendi’s .605 OPS is the second-lowest of any hitter with at least 350 plate appearances.